Beja people

The Beja people or the Bejas are a Cushitic ethnic group native to the Eastern Desert, inhabiting a coastal area from southeastern Egypt through eastern Sudan and into northwestern Eritrea. They are descended from peoples who have inhabited the area since 4000 BC or earlier. They are nomadic and live primarily in the Eastern Desert. The Beja number from 1.9 million to 3 million.

Some of the Beja speak a Cushitic language called Beja and some speak Tigre, a Semitic language, while others speak Arabic. In Eritrea and southeastern Sudan, many members of the Beni-Amer grouping speak Tigre. In southeastern Egypt and northeastern Sudan most Ababda speak Arabic. Originally, the Beja did not speak Arabic, but the migration of the numerous Arab tribes of Juhaynah, Mudar, Rabi'a, and many more to the Beja areas contributed to the Arabization and Islamization of them. The Arabs did not however fully settle in the Beja areas as they looked for better climate in other areas. The Beja have partially mixed with Arabs through intermarriages over the centuries, and by the 15th century were absorbed into Islam. The process of Arabization led to the Beja adopting the Arabic language, Arab clothing, and Arab kinship organization.